Scotland YES or NO

So many of the posters on this thread appear to be against a Yes vote. Perhaps this is because most live south of the border? Apart from Granny23, are there any who live in Scotland who will be voting Yes, apart from me?
I'm voting Yes because I no longer want to be ruled by a Tory government, or to be paying for a dysfunctional not fit-for-purpose, non-elected House of Lords. And as for the thought of Boris being a possible next Prime Minister....

Your story Hunt (I haven't heard it before) says it all, and, 'You ring the bells today, But could ring your hands tomorrow' also comes to mind! Having said that, although I am a strong supporter of the Union, I begin to feel that if Scotland wants to go it alone, then so be it. I for one am glad not to be living there and although we have had a few lovely holidays in the highlands with a fantastic welcome, I would now be wary of going there with English numberplates and accent! Quite a few friends feel the same and one has even cancelled their trip planned for October. It all seems such a pity.

nigglynellie, I'm English.

Marelli, I agree totally with your last paragraph. And I'm a Londoner.

It makes me very sad that somehow the Westminster bubble is conflated with England in the minds of so many. Sadly, we haven't had the opportunity this September to vote ourselves free of the Lords, the ConDems and the prospect of Mophead.

It doesn't seem very democratic to me.

The SNP is actually quite right wing. Get ready for Salmond's low-tax right-wing Scotland if the Yes vote wins.

Marelli I'm a Scot living in exile. I do wish I had a vote but having read your post I'm happy to feel I'm having a proxy YES vote through you

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Nigglynellie your friends should not have cancelled their trip. They are in no danger from the people they meet on a visit to Scotland. There will not be any attacks English tourist, whatever way the vote goes. Scots are used to tourists, the place is full of them.

The argument of the Yes campaign and of ninety-nine point nine percent of their supporters, is with being ruled from Westminster, not with individual English people. Almost all Scots have English relations and friends so they don't look o nthem as the enemy.

This is a political movement, not a personal one. I do wish Salmond had made that more clear in his rhetoric. It would have cut down some of the resentment.

I`m Scottish, living in Scotland and will definitely be voting No. SNP have been in power here for the past 3 years. They`ve had ample time to have carried out the promises they are now making long before now but haven`t. Why not? I`m not a fan of Tories either but look how much better the UK economy is doing now compared to the rest of Europe. We`d be mad to dissociate ourselves from that on the basis of vague promises that everything would be somehow alright.
I don't want my pension to be paid in Mickey Mouse currency. That's all the SNP can promise.

Marelli add to your last paragraph the suggestions from MP Rees-Mogg that DC should be looking at an agreement with Farage that would virtually guarantee a right-wing victory in 2015. Boris+Farage+DC et al! Who in their right mind would choose that?

I can sympathise entirely with those of you hoping for a NO vote if you think having Scotland's votes nationally in 2015 will help you avoid that nightmare scenario.

I think my main problem with it all is Alex Salmond who I find even more irritating than most Conservative mp's. I hate his attitude and the way he swaggers and smirks at people. I do wonder how I would would feel if the party had a different leader. As for the attitude of the Scots towards the English moving forward my concern is the behaviour of the minority yob element; all countries have them and they're all just looking for an excuse to cause trouble .

All countries do have them, Tegan. We just have to look at what's happening in the world just now.
Alex Salmond doesn't come over well sometimes, and his attitude can be irritating, but it must be remembered that if it is a Yes, then in time, Salmond may not be First Minister (or whatever term may be used by that time), and SNP may not be the party that is in power.

I have a feeling that he will not be first minister for very long.

I agree with you Jane10, and if I lived in Scotland I would feel exactly the same. As I understand it the settlement of 1707 was partly for financial reasons which were beneficial to Scotland after the debacle of the Darien Scheme which was a disaster and needed English finance for Scotland to recover. I think the public both sides of the border were unhappy with this arrangement at the time, but presumably it was considered politically expedient for England and financially for Scotland. With independence, finance in the future could well be a worry and burden for Scotland, relying on admission to the EU in the immediate future could be difficult as some countries have already indicated reluctance, which leaves The Bank of England as the bank of last resort, except that it has been made crystal clear that in the event of independence (it means just that) it isn't prepared to fulfil this under any circumstances as Scotland will be a foreign country and in the event of a financial upset the bank will not be under any obligation to help. Romantic visions are one thing but reality can be oh so different.

Whatever Alex Salmond's actual character may be, he and his party abolished tolls on all bridges (Skye, Forth and Tay). Also gave us free prescriptions, free care for the elderly, and free bus travel anywhere in Scotland.

A YES vote is not a vote for Alex Salmond. He is Scotland's First Minister and it's not a lifetime appointment it worries me that people haven't taken that point on board.

Free care for the elderly? Is that correct Marelli ... I may be returning home in my declining years.

Just Google it, Aka? 'Free care for the elderly in Scotland' - sorry, no good at doing links!

Well yes, that is so, but can that be sustained long term? Listening to the news this morning it appears that some people in Scotland are under the impression that Scotland will still be in the EU after independence! This is not the case, as the UK is a member of the EU collectively, not as individual countries. Once Scotland is not a member of the UK it automatically ceases to be a member of the EU, and will have to reapply as a new nation. Has Alec Salmond made this clear, judging by this mornings conversation it would appear that he has not!! Farm subsidies from the EU will go for a start, and even when (if) they manage to obtain membership and adopt the Euro, finance will then be govern by Brussels and not (the safer option) of London. If their membership is blocked, (by Spain and Portugal) then presumably they will have to set up their own banking system? The British subsidy to Scotland (mainly English) is £25 billion, this of course will cease, the oil revenues on which Salmond seems to be resting his financial case are set to drop sharply as the US increases production and in any case won't last for ever, then what? Such is the price of patriotism, sooner them than me!!!!

Marelli I'm one of the born and bred Scots who will be voting Yes and totally agree with your post at 09.53.23. I am not fully Scots as my father was English as was his mother and my maternal grandfather was English, but my heart belongs to Scotland. I'm not unhappy with my heritage nor am I a Scottish Nationalist but I do believe that as a nation Scotland will be a better country on our own without being dictated to by a London based Tory government which has no interest in people in the north which includes the north of England. It's going to be very interesting over the next 11 days.

Marelli your reasons for voting yes, (9.49 this morning) will be tackled in next year's general election. They are not the issues on the table in the Scotland vote. There will be no going back from a yes vote and I think it will be regretted, by the Scots, though possibly not by the English.

Didn't work for my mother. It's impossible to get.

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I don't think that we in England really mind one way or the other what Scotland decides to do as it won't particularly affect us. We will be sad to see you go, but if that's what you want all we can do is wish you well. However, I do think that Alec Salmond has led you all by the nose. Free XY and Z was a clever move as no doubt Scotland will have an election fairly soon after independence and with a bit of luck, from his point of view it will return a different party to government who will have to pick up the realism of independence and not just the romantic nationalistic pipe dream. - I don't envy them!!

Marelli I am overjoyed to find that you have come down on the right left side of the fence

As to the article from the Sunday Times - another London centric analysis. If the chap had gone to any of the pubs around here he would have found a plethora of articulate YES supporting punters not the one single Conservative that he spoke to. The allegation that the SNP is a right wing party is ludicrous. Alex Salmond was flung out of the Party years ago for being too far to the LEFT. Since then the Party has moved steadily leftward and is now accepted as being to the left of Scottish Labour.
Nigglynellie I am afraid that ALL your arguments have been debunked over and over. The official position of the EU is that Scotland will be a 'special case' because all Scottish citizens are currently also EU citizens and mainly wish to remain so. No part of the EU has ever been thrown out against their wishes. (It might also have something to do with an iScotland having the largest fishing grounds and most oil of any EU state. It is now accepted by unbiased commentators (e.g. the Financial Times) that Scotland has contributed more to the UK coffers than it has had back for the past 30 years. Everyone knows that due to better technology there is more oil still to come from the North Sea and billions of barrels more in the fields yet to be developed to the west, although the NO camp try very hard to hide this information.

The NO folk thought that with all the MSM on their side they could fool all the people but they did not take account of the modern power of the internet where all sides of the argument can be explored nor the traditional Public Meetings, street stalls, and door to door canvassing.

BTW: Jim Murphy, one of the most obnoxious career politicians in the UK, who is, of course, fighting to preserve his job and position, was hit by ONE egg. There have been no further incidents of egging, nor anything worse and it is widely reported that the 'assailant' who has been arrested is not a YES activist.